A Fascist Anniversary
Last Wednesday was the twentieth anniversary of the seizure of power by Mussolini and the establishment of the Fascist regime in Italy. He claimed to be the saviour of his country, the inaugurator of a new epoch of efficiency and prosperity, and the inspired
champion of a conception of government fitted for the modem world. In the event, Fascism turned out to be little more than old-fashioned dictatorship. If Mussolini achieved, as no doubt he did, certain superficial reforms, this was at the cost 9f enslaving his country and taking it along a path which was to lead to aggression, war, infamy and misery. It was as the creator of a system based oil one- man rule, force and bluff that he won flattery and a show of friend- ship from Hitler—who was indeed indebted to him for demonstrating that the democratic Powers could be defied (up to a point) with impunity. There were no common interests which Italy shared with Germany, but Mussolini had left himself no choice but to accept Hitler's decisions. The two leaders stood together in the first place because they were both dictators and aggressors ; and because they were both dictators and aggressors, it was certain that the stronger would ultimately devour the weaker. Fascism for Italy not only contained within itself the seeds of war, but a war in which, allied to Germany, she was bound to play an ignominious and contemptible part.
